10 May 2023

PROJECT #9: RULE of THIRDS (Composition)

HW (In class, if you have submitted 'Leading Lines'):
1. Turn on the 'Show Grid' function in your camera.
2. Make EIGHT+ photographs using the rule of thirds composition method.


-A person or pet should be the subject matter for half of the images.
-EIGHT photos are due for credit for the assignment.
-Each photo is worth ONE point (8 points total)
-Each photo that also includes a leading line to your subject matter will earn 100% extra credit (Example: if you include a leading line in each photo, your project will earn 16/8 points)


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THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE & THE GOLDEN MEAN
In visual art, Fibonacci numbers are sometimes used to determine the length or size of content or formal elements.

LINKS
A site that contains an explanation of the Golden Mean and its relationship to the rule of thirds HERE
Another site HERE
An explanation of the Fibonacci sequence HERE.
An animation of the Fibonacci sequence HERE.
Another explanation of the Fibonacci sequence HERE.
A site outlining the mystery of the Fibonacci sequence HERE (Really good!)







NOW, RULE OF THIRDS.
The RULE OF THIRDS is a compositional rule which is recommended for two-dimensional image making. An image could be divided equally by two vertical and two horizontal lines. In general, the four intersections of these lines will be the most interesting places for the main subject(s).

The Rule Of Thirds is a method of arranging subject matter within a two-dimensional frame to maximize a harmonious relationship between all planes of subject matter (foreground, middle ground, background). It is used by photographers, painters, film makers, television shows, etc. As one looks through the viewfinder, compositional lines are drawn (mentally) across the picture frame to divide the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The photographer places important elements of the composition where these lines intersect.


By placing your subject in one of the intersections, one creates a dynamic composition that allows the viewers eye to be drawn to different parts of the compostion in an ordered manner. The viewer is allowed to determine the relationship between 'close-up' subject matter and its relationship to the middle distance and background subject matters.

Click on the following titles to be taken to websites about the Rule Of Thirds:
Rule Of Thirds

The following addresses explain the Rule Of Thirds further:
Rule Of Thirds by Kodak
Rule Of Thirds by Silverlight.co.uk
A Beginner's Guide To Rule Of Thirds


Most people will put the seagull right in the middle which is the “dead center”.





The artist places important elements of the composition where these lines intersect. By placing the subject in one of the intersections, one creates a dynamic composition that allows the viewers eye to be drawn to different parts of the compostion in an ordered manner. The viewer is allowed to determine the relationship between 'close-up' subject matter and its relationship to the middle distance and background subject matter.









RULE OF THIRDS


...and some more examples.

















08 May 2023

PROJECT #8: LEADING LINES (5+ photos)

DIRECTIONS (FIVE/5 points): 
-Make 5+ photographs that include at least ONE MAIN LEADING LINE that draws the viewer from the foreground, to the middle ground, and to the background to your PRIMARY SUBJECT MATTER.
-Your choice of primary subject matter. 

TOTAL PHOTOS NEEDED FOR SCORING: FIVE points for five photos (photos must be a combination of both in and out of school images)

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Photo by Steve McCurry

Henri Cartier Bresson. Hyères, France. 1932



The lines that compose the Bresson photo:
(About the Hyères photo. CLICK HERE.)

Cartier-Bresson's site. CLICK HERE.

ANSEL ADAMS' ICONIC SNAKE RIVER PHOTOGRAPH:
Ansel Adams, The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, WY, 1942, photo, NARA, Records of the National Park Service, Washington, D.C.
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed, and is thereby a true manifestation of what one feels about life in its entirety.”  Quote of Ansel Adams (1902-1984)*


AND MY PERSONAL ALL-TIME FAVORITE LEADING LINES IMAGE:
Grandmother. Brooklyn, NY.  1993. Eugene Richards.




BASIC EXAMPLES OF LEADING LINE: